A Rainy Day
by cloviskarling
Summary: A random story I wrote in my spare time. I hope it's enjoyable. Interrupted by a sudden storm, Ellis and Nadie continue their picnic in an abandoned house.


A flash of lightning briefly illuminated two figures running up a slope, before a heavy curtain of rain once again obscured them from sight. Nadie, a redheaded bounty hunter, ran ahead while her charge, Ellis, a slim young girl – and the world's only witch – followed close behind, a basket in her arms. Despite the storm both girls were dry: Ellis's newly-awakened power caused the raindrops to evaporate millimeters before they hit their heads, another demonstration of the practical use of magic that Nadie was coming to feel increasingly grateful for.

The girls still ran, however, because Nadie knew how much the use of magic taxed Ellis. Before long they managed to reach their target, the porch of a lonely old house where they could take shelter. The house was unlighted and the door slightly ajar. Nadie took an exploratory peek inside; as she expected, the house was uninhabited – and judging from the thick layer of dust, had been so for quite some time. She slipped through the door and paused for a moment, before motioning Ellis to follow her.

"This is quite a nice room," Nadie observed, as she and Ellis stepped into the abandoned house. "I'll go clear out the debris. Ellis, get a fire going; once we're done we can continue the picnic from inside the house."

"Continue the picnic from…inside the house?" Ellis repeated dubiously.

"Well yes, dummy," Nadie sighed. "We can hardly picnic outside in such a heavy rain, right?"

"Yessir," Ellis chirped, and began rummaging for kindling around the old house.

The pair was lucky; not only was there kindling, the wood was not _very_ wet, and the debris did not require too much effort to clear out. And it turned out that Nadie was right: with a fire blazing merrily away in the fireplace, the house seemed warm and inviting, even cozy.

Ellis and Nadie sat by a table directly facing the window. They polished off the remnants of their interrupted picnic while watching the imperceptible transition of a rainy evening to night. The storm showed no sign of letting up, but then neither did the stockpile of firewood, and so they felt pretty well-off under the circumstances.

"Too bad our picnic got interrupted like that," Nadie grinned ruefully at Ellis. Ellis smiled back.

"No, it's fine."

With a contented sigh Nadie leaned against her chair until it tipped back at a precarious angle, her hands folded over her bare stomach. "But this isn't too bad either," she observed. "It's nice when it's getting late and you're tired out, with a full belly near a comfortable fire. It's even nicer to be sitting next to someone you love, watching the rain sweep over the world…"

"Nadie." Nadie blinked in surprise, and glanced sideways. Ellis was looking at her, a strange smile on her face.

"Ellis?"

"You said 'next to someone you love'," Ellis said. There was a short pause. "That's me, right?"

"Of course that is, dummy," Nadie laughed. "We're partners, aren't we?"

"Yes we are, but…" It might only be a trick of the firelight, but Nadie could have sworn that Ellis, however slightly, was blushing. "I mean…that way…" A lump convulsed Ellis's throat and choked off her ability to speak. Ellis stared at her knees; the room felt unbearably hot, and she tried to remember how to breathe.

"Ellis?" Nadie asked. This was the first time she had seen the girl at a loss for words. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ellis said. She tried to smile, but her smile felt twisted and strange, and she could not bring herself to look at Nadie's eyes.

An awkward silence settled across the room. Then:

"Say, 'Aaahhh'."

"Huh?" Ellis glanced up. Nadie was grinning at her, a pair of cherries in her hand.

"Your dessert," Nadie said, nodding at the picnic basket. "But only if you say 'Aaahhh'."

"Aaahhh," Ellis said obediently. Nadie hovered the cherries teasingly just outside Ellis' mouth for a moment, before popping them in.

"How do they taste?"

"They're delicious!" Ellis replied happily, if indistinctly. Her mouth was full of cherries and busily chewing.

Again there was a silence. Then:

"Say 'Aaahhh'."

Ellis held another pair of cherries in her hand. Nadie stared at her, puzzled. "I thought mine was the last pair."

"I have magic! I'm a witch," Ellis said brightly. "Now say 'Aaahhh'."

"Alright." Nadie closed her eyes and opened her mouth. "Aaahhh." She waited.

And waited.

At length she opened her eyes. "Hey, you were supposed to feed me the cherries!" Nadie said reproachfully.

Ellis's smile did not waver. "Come get them yourself if you want them."

Nadie moved her mouth towards the cherries. She felt the cold, soft flesh of the fruit touch her lips for a moment before it was whisked away. She made another attempt, and this time Ellis allowed the cherries to lightly graze her teeth, and settle briefly on her tongue, before flicking them away again.

"Why you!" Nadie darted towards Ellis, but the blonde girl slipped out of her chair. A dance started: Nadie chasing, the cherries hovering out of reach, and Ellis just one step ahead of her, backing away and dodging dexterously.

But Nadie was not a veteran bounty hunter for nothing. The redhead managed to maneuver Ellis around the room until the younger girl's legs touched the edge of the bed in the corner. "Gotcha now!" Nadie announced, and lunged forward. This time, her mouth closed successfully around the cherries.

Her forward momentum, however, carried her onward until she lost her balance and collided with Ellis. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around Ellis, and both girls fell together on the bed, with Nadie on top.

"Ow," Ellis said. She was smiling, though. So was Nadie.

"Well, that's what you get for being naughty," Nadie retorted. Instead of getting off Ellis, however, Nadie brushed her right hand up Ellis's entwined armed until it rested over the younger girl's wrists – and held them fast. "And what do you say when you've been a very naughty tease?" When Ellis did not reply, Nadie's grin only widened. "I'm not letting you up until you say it, you know."

Then her eyes met Ellis's, and she saw the look on the younger girl's face. Nadie felt the grin on her face slowly fade. Her breath caught in her throat, a heavy weight settled on her chest, and Nadie became acutely, painfully aware how close their faces were – how their lips, with just a little brush, might…

"Oh! Sorry." Nadie jerked away. For a fleeting moment, she thought an expression not unlike disappointment flashed past Ellis's face. "By the way, you were supposed to say 'Sorry, Nadie'."

Ellis sat up too. _Maybe I don't want you to let me up_, she thought, but what she said was "Sorry, Nadie." Her voice was quiet and her gaze downcast, and her breaths came in quick, shallow gasps.

"Ellis." Nadie knelt before the blonde girl, her face a picture of concern. "Are you…really okay?"

Ellis nodded, not speaking. Nadie stood up, a relieved grin back on her face. "Well you're probably just tired. We've been travelling a lot lately, haven't we?" Ellis did not reply. "Let's turn ourselves in for the night," Nadie suggested.

"Okay," Ellis concurred. Nadie turned around and dragged the most comfortable-looking chair in the room next to the fireplace.

"All right then. Good night!" She waved at Ellis, and closed her eyes.

She heard a rustle of sheets. Then a weight settled on her thigh. Nadie opened her eyes again. "Ellis? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I want to sleep here, Nadie," Ellis said. "On the chair. With you."

"Why's that?"

"Because you prefer to sleep in chairs. That's what you said."

"That's true," Nadie conceded. "But since when did you like to sleep in chairs?"

Ellis considered this for a moment. "There are bedbugs on the bed."

"You weren't so picky the first time round," Nadie pointed out.

"I've changed since then," Ellis said, glancing at Nadie. Her smile was shy and piercingly sweet. Nadie's heart skipped a beat. "Haven't you noticed?"

"Of course I have," Nadie murmured. "Go to sleep, Ellis."

"Yessir." Ellis did her adorable salute, and Nadie could not help but grin back. Then her eyes closed; her head drooped, leaned on Nadie's shoulder. Soft, even breaths started to whistle from Ellis's slightly parted lips.

Gently, carefully, Nadie spread the cloak she wore for travelling over Ellis's body. She looked at the tableau of the sleeping girl. Asleep, Ellis looked so vulnerable, so delicate, so innocent – and so beautiful it made Nadie's chest hurt. _I love you, Ellis, _Nadie thought. _I'll watch over you and protect you as long as I can. I'll remain by your side, even if it costs my life._ Then her smile became slightly sadder, and more wistful. _Even if it breaks my heart._

As if reading her mind Ellis nuzzled against Nadie and settled closer to her chest. Nadie was beginning to get drowsy too. She felt a warm, strong feeling – an ache painful and blissful in equal measure – sweep across her chest. _I wonder if this is joy_, she thought hazily.

For some reason Nadie was not at all surprised when Ellis's voice, identical in pitch and timbre, said, in her mind:

_No, Nadie, this is love._

That was the last thing that passed through Nadie's head before she, too, fell asleep.


End file.
